PATNA: A railway station and a police vehicle were torched and several law enforcers injured in stone-pelting incidents for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday in protest against the Agneepath scheme, when demands for withdrawal of the new scheme came on Saturday. A bandh was called for this. For recruitment in the Armed Forces. In the capital city, bandh supporters were stopped by police from forcibly closing shops, but they registered a stampede by doing push-ups on the streets and pelting stones at commercial establishments. Bandh supporters set ablaze a GRP jeep on the outskirts of Taregana railway station in Masauri sub-division of Patna district.
They also exchanged bullets with GRP personnel, engaged in heavy stone pelting and thrashed journalists covering the conflict.
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East Central Railway (ECR) RPF DIG S Mayank told reporters, “Police and RPF have been deployed in Mussoorie. We do not have any information about anyone being injured in the violence there so far.”
In Danapur subdivision, bandh supporters ransacked an ambulance as the driver alleged that a patient and his attendants were also beaten up by the mob.
State Police Chief DGP SK Singhal visited Patna Junction and took stock of the security arrangements there.
The ECR Headquarters in Hajipur said that 32 trains have been canceled in view of the prevailing situation.
“In order to ensure the safety and security of passengers and railway property, trains going to other areas will be run through ECR only after 8 PM on Saturdays and up to 4 AM on Sundays. The movement of such trains on Sundays Will be reinstated at 8 pm.” Virendra Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of ECR said.
Notably, the railways in the state has suffered huge losses during the protests in the last three days. More than 60 train coaches, 10 locomotives and some stations have been set ablaze by mobs to protest the introduction of the new recruitment system, in which 75 per cent of the jawans will retire after four years of service, without pension benefits.
Earlier, bandh supporters had attacked a police post in Jehanabad district, injuring several personnel. In Munger, shops remained open, though bandh supporters torched tires on the streets amid the presence of heavy police force.
A large police force was deployed in front of the state headquarters of the BJP, which was at the receiving end of protests, several of its senior leaders were physically assaulted and its offices torched in at least three districts since Thursday. Was. ,
Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad, who is also the party’s leader in the assembly, said, “We can say that the bandh has had negligible impact on normal life. Barring sporadic incidents, peace is prevailing across the state.”
Internet services have been suspended in 12 severely-affected districts of the state, except for services controlled by the government, due to large-scale violence over the past few days. A notification by the Home Department said the restrictions would be in effect for at least three days.
Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in many cities as a precaution.
The bandh has received in-principle support from all opposition parties- RJD, Congress, Left and Aam Aadmi Party. Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha has also given moral support to the day-long bandh.
The BJP has directly blamed the RJD, known for its strong strategy in politics, for the violence. However, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), the BJP’s ally in the state and at the Centre, has demanded a review of the plan, and urged the central government to allay the fear of the protesters.